Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of regulations on the calculation of car insurance premiums.

Jesse Norman: Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms, conditions and premiums for the policies they offer as they are accepting a level of risk when choosing to issue a motor insurance policy. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers and the Government does not generally intervene or seek to control the market.

Cycling and Walking

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding allocated to meet the the objectives of his Department’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

Jesse Norman: The Department has commissioned a modelling research project to assess i) the impact that current investment across England will have on rates of cycling, walking and walking-to-school and ii) the additional investment required to raise levels of cycling and walking to meet the 2025 aims and targets set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. The project is due to be completed in early 2019.

Electric Vehicles

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the value for money of allocating funding for electric (a) pedal cycles (b) cars and (c) vans.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has not undertaken any comparative assessment of the value for money for allocating funds for electrically assisted pedal cycles, electric cars and vans. However, at September’s Zero Emission Vehicle Summit the Prime Minister announced a £2 million funding programme to support the uptake of e-cargo bikes. The details of the scheme, alongside a value for money analysis are currently being developed.

Cycling and Walking

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the contribution from (a) local authorities, (b) local enterprise partnerships and (c) other local sources to meet the (i) targets, (ii) aims and (iii) ambitions of the cycling and walking investment strategy.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in April 2017, set out that £1.2 billion of funding would be available to be invested in measures to increase cycling and walking in England over the period to 2021. The estimated contributions from local authorities and local enterprise partnerships of funding allocated from central government funds during this period are detailed in the table below. No estimate has been made of the total contribution of locally generated funds from local authorities. Since publication of the Strategy, additional funding streams have been made available to local authorities including the £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund, £220 million through the Clean Air Fund and £5 billion through the Housing Infrastructure Fund. The bidding processes for these new funds are still underway so allocations to cycling and walking are not yet known. LA/LEP contributions Amount (£m)Local Growth Fund476.41 (597)2Cycle Ambition Cities101Access Fund80Integrated Transport Block193.53Highways Maintenance Fund1964 Note: table does not include central Government funding provided directly to Highways England and for the Bikeability programme. 1Based on figures provided by Local Enterprise Partnerships to the Department in Jan 2016. 2Revised figure including final round of Local Growth Fund based on figures provided by Local Enterprise Partnerships to the Department in spring 2018. 3Based on previous trends. 4Based on 9% formula weighting.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the use of scrubber technology and marine sulphur dumping on UK coastlines.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made on the potential effects of the use of scrubber technology and marine sulphur dumping on the English channel.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the use of scrubber technology and marine sulphur dumping on marine life and biodiversity in UK waters.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the use of scrubber technology and marine nitrate dumping on algae build up on UK coastlines.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government has not seen any evidence that the use of scrubbing technology would have any significant effect on marine environment. All scrubbers must comply with mandatory Guidelines, which were developed by the International Maritime Organization, before they are allowed to become operational. The potential effects of the use of scrubber technologies on the marine environment was taken into consideration when developing the Guidelines. To be compliant, the systems collect and store any sulphur residue and solid particulate matter on-board the vessel, to be deposited at a port waste reception facility. Some scrubbers discharge treated wash water back into the sea – which is also controlled under the IMO Guidelines. There are ongoing studies which are looking at the impact of wash water discharges within European waters, which we are monitoring. At this stage, we are not aware of any significant issues which have been found. However, we will respond appropriately at international level, if these or any other studies, conclude that further controls are needed.

Seas and Oceans: Sulphur

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the International Maritime Organisation on the matter of marine sulphur pollution.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK is a strong supporter of taking global action to reduce pollutant emissions from shipping and has played a leading role at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to drive global regulation in this area. There will be a new global 0.5 per cent sulphur cap on marine fuels coming into force in 2020, which was reviewed and approved by the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in October 2016. The UK is actively involved with other States and industry at the IMO, to ensure the transition to the global cap for ships and fuel suppliers is as smooth as possible. This work has been progressing well, and further headway was made at the seventy third session of MEPC which met this October. The meeting considered a range of measures to support implementation including ‘ship operator implementation plans’ with further work planned at an IMO sub-committee in February 2019 to address cases of non-compliant fuel. MEPC also confirmed in October that the carriage of non-compliant fuel oil (as well as its use) should also be banned, unless the ship uses an exhaust gas cleaning system. Additionally, the UK has been active within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in supporting the development of guidance for shipowners. The existing standard for marine fuels (ISO 8217:2017) will continue to apply, but additional guidance will be available for companies ordering and handling these fuels from mid-2019.

Air Space

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on the implementation of Class E airspace with transponder mandatory zones in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: There have been no specific discussions with the CAA on the implementation of Class E airspace in UK. In accordance with the Air Navigation Directions 2017, the policy on the classification of airspace and its implementation lies with the independent airspace regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority. However, as The Government continues to modernise our airspace, it needs to be mindful of longer term changes that will have an impact on wider airspace management. This includes the increasing need to enable the safe integration, rather than segregation, of all aircraft. This is why, as part of the Aviation Strategy, The Department is working with the CAA to explore a new policy on mandating electronic identification for all users.

Air Space

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the merits (a) of the proposals of the Civil Aviation Authority on changing class E airspace procedures and (b) made of the compliance of those proposed procedures with cap 1616 processes.

Jesse Norman: The Government has made no such assessments. However, as the Government continues to modernise UK airspace, there is an increasing need to enable the safe integration, rather than segregation, of all aircraft. This is why, as part of the Aviation Strategy, the Department is working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to explore a new policy on mandating electronic identification for all users. Any proposal to change the UK’s airspace design will need to be assessed according to the CAA’s own airspace change process, which is set out in CAP1616. This includes the need to consult with all those who may be affected by the proposal.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 182152 on High Speed 2 Railway Line, when he plans to publish the report by PwC into High Speed Two.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We plan to publish the report shortly.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: New Businesses

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to promote (a) co-operative and (b) mutual energy start-up businesses.

Claire Perry: The Government wants a fully working, competitive market that is innovative, adaptive and flourishing and continues to promote competition as the best driver of value and service for customers. Ofgem’s approach to licensing aims to enable entry into the retail market of new companies with innovative offers or business models, whilst ensuring all firms provide consumers with a robust and reliable service. Where regulation prevents the launch of a product, Ofgem’s Regulatory Sandbox can enable trials, without some of the usual rules applying. Ofgem’s approach applies equally to privately owned, co-operative and mutual energy start-up businesses.

Arts Works: Royalties

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent representations he has received on the participation of the UK in the EU Resale Right Directive 2001/84/EC after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The (Artists’) Resale Right Directive will be retained in UK law through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act, which means that UK artists and estates will continue to enjoy its benefits. I have received no representations in the last 12 months, but officials at the Intellectual Property Office have met with artists’ representatives on their support for the continuation of the artist's resale right.

Employment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to (a) extend access to employment tribunals, and (b) improve employment rights for employees with less than two years’ service.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold information relating to non-UK EU nationals. From the data held at October 2018 on 121 staff, 28% have declared as British citizens, 14% have declared as Northern Irish and 2% have declared as other nationalities. The remaining 56% either prefer not to say or have not declared their nationality. The Department has no agencies. It has three executive non-departmental public bodies – the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, the Independent Reporting Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body – the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As these bodies are independent of Government, the hon Member may wish to write to the Commissions directly on these matters – contact details are set out below: ALBStatusContact DetailsParades Commission for Northern IrelandExecutive NDPBinfo@paradescommission.orgIndependent Reporting CommissionExecutive NDPBenquiries@IRCommission.orgNorthern Ireland Human Rights CommissionExecutive NDPBinformation@nihrc.orgBoundary Commission for Northern IrelandAdvisory NDPBcontact@boundarycommission.org.uk

British Irish Intergovernmental Conference

Rosie Cooper: When the next meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference will take place.

Mr Shailesh Vara: As the Secretary of State confirmed this morning, it has been agreed that the next meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference will take place in Dublin on Friday 2nd November. This will be chaired by my RHF the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Tánaiste, Simon Coveney, with the Secretary of State and Irish Justice Minister, Charles Flanagan, also in attendance.

Brexit: Northern Ireland

Drew Hendry: What discussions her Department has had with the Department for Exiting the European Union on preparations for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Shailesh Vara: My Department has regular discussions with the Department for Exiting the European Union, at ministerial and official level, about a range of issues relating to the UK’s exit from the EU. This includes making sure that, as we leave the EU, we do so in a way that takes account of the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland.

Department of Health and Social Care

GP At Hand

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the news article entitled Skype calls for all in revolution on GP services, published by the Telegraph on 12 September 2018, whether his Department’s policy is to make GP at Hand available to all.

Steve Brine: We recognise the necessity of having a diversity of technological innovators within our healthcare system. Any provider that shows that they can deliver the highest quality of our care for our patients is welcome.

Malnutrition

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the NICE Clinical Guidance 32 on Nutrition Support in Adults for patients with disease related malnutrition.

Steve Brine: The Government has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on nutritional support for adults. NICE clinical guidelines provide authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice and should be taken fully into account by healthcare professionals in the care and treatment of individual patients.

Ophthalmology: Waiting Lists

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Referral to Treatment (RTT) Waiting Times: Monthly Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times for incomplete pathways, between January 2017 and January 2018, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the decline in the number of Clinical Commissioning Groups meeting the 18-week RTT for ophthalmology.

Stephen Barclay: The Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2018-19 continues to set NHS England an objective to maintain and improve performance against core patient access standards. This includes a clear expectation that the statutory referral to treatment standard should be met. Progress has been made during 2018/19. At the end of September 58% of hospital eye services are in the process of implementing this work, and 89% of clinical commissioning groups have commenced eye health capacity reviews. Both actions require completion by 31 March 2019.

Ophthalmology: Waiting Lists

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people that suffered sight loss as a result of a (a) delayed and (b) cancelled ophthalmology hospital appointment in each of the last three years.

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to collect outcome data in ophthalmology at a Clinical Commissioning Group level.

Steve Brine: The Department and NHS England take any evidence of delays in treatment affecting outcomes very seriously and are currently carefully considering the recommendations of the recent wide-ranging report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on eye health “Seeing the light”. Outcome data on avoidable sight loss is collected nationally. It is published regularly through the sight loss indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. This data is published at national, regional and unitary authority level. Sight loss is strongly linked to, among other factors, demographics. It is not possible to identify through the data collected nationally any impact of delays in treatment. There are no current plans to publish this data in a different format such as by clinical commissioning group and doing so would not enable outcomes to be linked specifically to any delays in treatment.

Ophthalmology

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on patients' health of the reduction in the front-loading of ophthalmology follow-up services to first attendance prices from 30 per cent to 20 per cent.

Steve Brine: No such assessment has been made.

Dental services: Contracts

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the tendering processes for NHS orthodontist services undertaken by Care Commissioning Groups, how many and what proportion of tender contracts have gone to (a) consultant-led and (b) non-consultant specialist-led orthodontic services.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of contracts for NHS orthodontist services tendered by CCGs which go to orthodontists with wheelchair accessible premises.

Steve Brine: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are not responsible for commissioning dental services including orthodontic services. NHS England commissions such services directly. NHS England advises it does not hold information centrally on how many and what proportion of tender contracts have gone to consultant-led and non-consultant specialist-led orthodontic services or the proportion of contracts for National Health Service orthodontist services tendered by NHS England which go to orthodontists with wheelchair accessible premises. No estimate is therefore possible of the proportion of orthodontic services that have wheelchair accessible premises.

Integrated Care Systems

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many responses NHS England has received to its consultation on contracting arrangements for Integrated Care Providers.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England launched a 12 week public consultation on the proposed contracting arrangements for integrated care providers (ICPs) on 3 August 2018 which concluded on 26 October. More information is available at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/proposed-contracting-arrangements-for-icps/ As the consultation only closed on 26 October, data relating to the number of responses received is currently being analysed and will be made available as part of NHS England’s response to the consultation.

Integrated Care Systems

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that his proposed Integrated Care Providers prevent fragmentation of service provision.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he plans to ensure that Integrated Care Providers improve strategic decision making.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent contracting arrangements for Integrated Care Providers from creating (a) self-sustaining strategies and (b) increasing complexity in the commissioning system.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England launched a 12 week public consultation on the proposed contracting arrangements for integrated care providers (ICPs) on 3 August 2018 which concluded on 26 October. More information is available at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/proposed-contracting-arrangements-for-icps/ NHS England will publish a response to the consultation following full consideration of responses and feedback. The consultation documents provide more detail about the NHS England’s current proposals for ICPs, including:- how the proposed ICP Contract would underpin integration between services;- how it would differ from existing National Health Service commissioning contracts; and- how ICPs would fit into the broader commissioning system.

Integrated Care Systems

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what restrictions he plans to put in place to ensure that Integrated Care Providers do not subcontract services to for-profit organisations.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England launched a 12 week public consultation on the proposed contracting arrangements for integrated care providers (ICPs) on 3 August 2018 which concluded on 26 October. More information is available at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/proposed-contracting-arrangements-for-icps/ NHS England will publish a response to the consultation following full consideration of responses and feedback. The consultation documents provide more detail about the NHS England’s current proposals for ICPs, including accountability arrangements and the role of subcontractors and commissioner oversight of subcontractors.

Integrated Care Systems

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to enable Integrated Care Providers to work with local Healthwatch groups.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England launched a 12 week public consultation on the proposed contracting arrangements for integrated care providers on 3 August 2018 which concluded on 26 October. More information is available at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/proposed-contracting-arrangements-for-icps/ NHS England will publish a response to the consultation following full consideration of responses and feedback. The consultation will also consider how integrated care providers cooperate with local Healthwatch.

Integrated Care Systems

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the appropriate size of (a) population, (b) budget and (c) geography to be administered by his proposed Integrated Care Providers; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England launched a 12 week public consultation on the proposed contracting arrangements for integrated care providers on 3 August 2018 which concluded on 26 October. More information is available at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/proposed-contracting-arrangements-for-icps/ NHS England will publish a response to the consultation following full consideration of responses and feedback.

Integrated Care Systems

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the participation of local authorities in the Integrated Care Providers processes.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England launched a 12 week public consultation on the proposed contracting arrangements for integrated care providers on 3 August 2018 which concluded on 26 October. More information is available at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/proposed-contracting-arrangements-for-icps/ A response to the consultation will be published following full consideration of responses and feedback. The consultation will also consider the role of local authorities.

Integrated Care Systems

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve preventative health through Integrated Care Provider processes.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England launched a 12 week public consultation on the proposed contracting arrangements for integrated care providers (ICPs) on 3 August 2018 which concluded on 26 October. More information is available at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/proposed-contracting-arrangements-for-icps/ NHS England will publish a response to the consultation following full consideration of responses and feedback. The proposed ICP Contract prioritises the long-term health and care outcomes for the population, and seeks to incentivise the prevention of ill health as a vital element in achieving improvement in those outcomes.

Respiratory System: Consultants

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to increase the number of NHS respiratory consultants.

Stephen Barclay: National Health Service workforce statistics published by NHS Digital show that the full time equivalent number of respiratory consultants employed by the NHS in England has increased by 60% between July 2010 and July 2018 (latest published data):  Respiratory ConsultantsJuly 2010653July 2011664July 2012705July 2013758July 2014816July 2015882July 2016929July 2017980July 20181,048Source: NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly workforce statistics, NHS DigitalResponsibility for staffing levels, including the number of consultant posts, rests with individual NHS trusts and their boards who are best placed to decide how many staff they need to provide a given service.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve the uptake of cervical screening within the recommended time frame.

Steve Brine: The Department, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England continue to work together to understand the reasons for the decline in cervical screening uptake and to support the NHS and local authorities (LAs) to address them. This includes access to timely and useful data for benchmarking; providing evidence on best practice to increase uptake among women who wish to be screened; using governance levers to advise the NHS and LAs; and working in partnership with commissioners, providers and charities. This has been, and continues to be, an ongoing focus to improve the cervical screening service and its uptake among women in the United Kingdom. In August 2018, PHE published ‘Cervical Screening: ideas for helping to improve access and uptake’; the guidance is available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-coverage-and-data/cervical-screening-ideas-for-improving-access-and-uptake

Sports: Medicine

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations governing those practising as sports therapists.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of statutory regulation of sports therapists under Part 2 (17) (a) of the Health Professions Order 2001.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is committed to supporting the development of a modern health and care workforce as part of our continuing drive to provide safe, accessible and high-quality care for patients and service users. The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals should be used proportionately and only where the risks to public and patient protection cannot be addressed in other ways, such as through employer oversight or accredited voluntary registration. The Professional Standards Authority set standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for health and social care occupations and accredits those registers that meet them. They have accredited three voluntary registers for sports therapists and sports rehabilitators:- British Association of Sports Rehabilitators (BASRaT);- The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC); and- The Federation of Holistic Therapists.

Mental Illness: Parents

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what statistics his Department holds on the number of patients who have presented with mental health problems who are (a) parents and (b) have parental responsibilities from the past five years.

Matt Hancock: This information is not available.

Mental Health Services

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the full range of NICE recommended psychological therapies are available to people who are unable to access  Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programmes due to the nature of their mental illness.

Matt Hancock: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme offers a range of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended therapies in England for common mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. For people with a severe mental illness, such as psychosis, bipolar disorder and personality disorder, NHS England has committed to increasing access to psychological therapies, as recommended by the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. The 2016 access standard for early intervention state that at least 50% of people experiencing their first episode of psychosis should start a package of care recommended by NICE within two weeks of referral rising to 60% by 2020/21. The waiting time element of this standard was met in August 2018 with 74.4% of people starting treatment within two weeks. Additionally, NHS England is developing a new framework for adult non-specialist community mental health services, due to be published in 2019, which will set out updated recommendations on the importance of psychological therapies as a treatment intervention in community mental health services.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure that 25-30 year old women attend their smear test appointments.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) is working with commissioners and providers to encourage women, including those aged 25 to 30, to attend their smear test appointment. Methods for prompting women who are overdue or who have never attended a smear test appointment include reminder letters, text reminders, postcards and telephoning women directly. In August 2018, PHE published ‘Cervical Screening: ideas for helping to improve uptake’. The guidance is available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-coverage-and-data/cervical-screening-ideas-for-improving-access-and-uptake

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to raise awareness with (a) women under 35 years old and (b) minority ethnic women of the importance of regular smear tests.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) is currently developing a campaign that will promote uptake of cervical screening. The campaign is scheduled to launch in 2019. The campaign will include activity that is targeted specifically at women from minority ethnic groups. PHE advises the National Health Service on how to deliver screening programmes. The service specifications include standards relating to reducing inequalities in coverage and uptake. In August 2018, PHE published ‘Cervical Screening: ideas for helping to improve access and uptake’. This provides ideas taken from a range of initiatives used to address uptake of the cervical screening programme; this includes raising awareness amongst all women eligible for cervical screening, including those under 35 years. The guidance is available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-coverage-and-data/cervical-screening-ideas-for-improving-access-and-uptake

Mental Illness: Essex

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money the West Essex Clinical Commission Group allocates to mental health services; and what this figure is as a proportion of that Group's total budget.

Matt Hancock: Information on clinical commissioning group (CCG) funding is available in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health Dashboard, which is published by NHS England and available at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/taskforce/imp/mh-dashboard/ For the 2017/18 financial year, the West Essex CCG spent £43.8 million on mental health services in 2017/18. This figure represents 11.2% of its base funding allocation.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the rate of the use of intensive chemotherapy is in relation to cancer patient population by (a) type of cancer and (b) hospital trust.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected centrally.

Mortality Rates

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans on publishing premature mortality data at sustainability and transformation partnership and local authority level.

Steve Brine: Public Health England publishes premature morality data for English local authorities through Local Authority Health Profiles. There are currently no plans for premature mortality data to be published at sustainability and transformation partnership level.

Primary Health Care

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of providing health and social care professionals with training to support people to self care for self-treatable conditions.

Steve Brine: No specific assessment has been made.

Learning Disability: Nurses

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the change in the number of learning disability nurses since 2010; and what steps he is taking to recruit more nurses into that specialist field.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital Trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers. The Department is working with relevant bodies across health and education to monitor the effects of the healthcare funding reforms on all the professions affected. We have been working with Health Education England (HEE) and the university sector to ensure students continued to apply for courses up to the end of clearing in October 2018. We are also working with HEE on a campaign to improve perceptions of nursing, the allied health professions and midwifery and encourage applications to relevant undergraduate courses for Universities and Colleges Admissions Service applications in 2019. Students who commence loan funded postgraduate pre-registration nursing courses in the 2018/19 academic year will be eligible for a golden hello payment once they have graduated and go on to work in learning disability, mental health or district nursing. Payments will be made to these graduates once they take up employment in the health and care sector in England. Working with the National Health Service and the university sector, the Government is finalising the most effective way to administer and introduce the scheme and will set out details in due course.

Tramadol

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to limit the prescription of Tramadol.

Steve Brine: The Department expects all clinicians to act responsibly when prescribing schedule three drugs such as Tramadol. The responsibility for prescribing and any necessary follow-up rests with the doctor or prescriber who has clinical responsibility for that particular aspect of a patient's care. Decisions on which drugs are prescribed should be based on clinical assessments. Good communication between practitioners and patients is essential and prescribers should always involve patients in decisions about the treatment proposed, including informing them of any possible side effects from their prescribed medicines. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs published advice on the use of Tramadol in 2013. This advice can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/144116/advice-tramadol.pdf Advice to prescribers includes warnings that repeated use is associated with psychological and physical dependence.

Head Lice

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution of 25 October 2018 of the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Official Report, column 456, what assessment he has made of the effect that recent changes to NHS guidance to Clinical Commissioning Groups on conditions for which over the counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care will have on the spread of headlice in deprived areas.

Steve Brine: The Department has made no such assessment. The section of NHS England’s guidance which covers head lice says that chemical treatment for them is only used in exceptional cases; the usual treatment is wet combing. NHS England undertook an Equalities and Health Inequalities analysis ‘Conditions for which over the counter items should not be routinely prescribed in primary care: Equality and health inequalities full analysis form’ alongside the guidance, which assessed the impact of the guidance on those from low income households and those living in poverty. The analysis can be accessed using the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/otc-ehi-analysis-form.pdf

Diabetes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with diabetes in (a) Coventry South constituency, (b) Coventry and (c) England have been admitted to a hospital in the past five years.

Steve Brine: The following table shows the count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of diabetes in Coventry South constituency, Coventry and England, 2013-14 to 2017-18  2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Coventry South3,2653,5303,5753,5653,830Coventry10,15011,35511,36511,50012,015England1,472,0681,575,7461,664,6851,765,1011,850,119Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital Notes:A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. In order to protect patient confidentiality, all other sub-national data has been rounded to the nearest five.

Diabetes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with diabetes in (a) Coventry South constituency, (b) Coventry and (c) England have required rescue treatment after failing into a coma as a result of a severe hypoglycaemic attack.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not centrally held.

Diabetes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with diabetes in (a) Coventry South constituency, (b) Coventry and (c) England have experienced diabetes ketoacidosis as a result of under-treatment with insulin.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not centrally held.

Patients: Lost Property

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what procedures the NHS has put in place to ensure the protection of vulnerable inpatients personal affects.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS Protect provides guidance to National Health Service organisations in England on the secure management of all patients' property. This includes the process for documenting patients’ property, transferring patients and discharging patients. Patients should be advised of their rights and responsibilities with respect to property taken onto the NHS organisations premises.

Hyperactivity: Waiting Lists

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 15 May 2018, Official Report, column 111WH, what progress has been made in discussions with NHS digital on data available on waiting times for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessments using the mental health dataset.

Matt Hancock: The Department and NHS Digital are looking at whether and how waiting times for attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) might be measured using data collected by NHS Digital. These discussions have included understanding which services undertake ADHD assessments and how they align with the scope of various datasets held by NHS Digital, and the quality and completeness of the relevant datasets including the completeness of diagnosis and diagnostic activity.

Nurses: Vacancies

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the increase in the vacancy rate for nurses in England as reported in NHS Improvement's report on Performance of the NHS provider sector for the quarter ended 30 June 2018.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Improvement report on Performance of the NHS provider sector for the quarter ending 30 June 2018, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of nursing vacancies.

Stephen Barclay: Responsibility for staffing levels rests with individual National Health Service trusts and their boards who are best placed to decide how many staff they need to provide a given service. We are working with universities to ensure more people continue to apply to be a nurse. The Department is also working with its arm’slength bodies on a number of actions to increase recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce – these include:- NHS England, with the support of the Department and Health Education England (HEE), has launched a major advertising campaign, aimed at encouraging recruitment to the NHS, retaining the existing workforce, and promoting the possibility of a return to the workforce for those who have previously worked in the NHS. The campaign has a strong focus on nursing, and builds upon HEE’s #KnowAboutNursing campaign, which has been running since May of this year; - HEE is working with NHS trusts and universities to ensure as many people as possible continue to apply for nurse training programmes; and - There will be no restriction on the numbers of nurses who can be employed through the Tier 2 visa route – giving health and social care employers the ability to recruit more international nurses to provide outstanding patient care whenever and wherever required.

Nurses: Training

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the fall in the number of applications to nursing courses in the UK in 2017.

Stephen Barclay: The Department is working with relevant bodies across health and education to monitor the effects of the healthcare funding reforms, including the impact on application numbers on all the professions affected. We are working with universities to ensure more people continue to apply to nurse training programmes. The Department is also working with its arm’s length bodies on a number of actions to increase recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce, including applications to nursing courses. NHS England, with the support of the Department and Health Education England (HEE), has launched a major advertising campaign, aimed at encouraging recruitment to the National Health Service, retaining the existing workforce, and promoting the possibility of a return to the workforce for those who have previously worked in the NHS. The campaign has a strong focus on nursing, and builds upon HEE’s #KnowAboutNursing campaign, which has been running since May of this year.

Nurses: Brighton

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of nursing vacancies in the NHS in Brighton and Hove.

Stephen Barclay: The information is not held in the format requested.

Acupuncture

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2018 to Question 166178 on Acupuncture, what steps his Department is taking to maintain the provision of acupuncture services in the NHS.

Steve Brine: Clinical commissioning groups have a statutory responsibility to commission cost effective health care for their patients. In doing so they use their clinical expertise to assess and prioritise those treatments, including acupuncture services, that provide the safest and most effective outcomes for the population as a whole.

Influenza: South Shields

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the flu vaccine is not available for all people over 65 in the South Shields Constituency; and when he plans to make that vaccine available for everyone in that age group.

Steve Brine: The adjuvanted trivalent flu (aTIV) is available to everyone over 65 years of age. To enable adequate supply of the aTIV to be available in 2018-19, deliveries have had to be phased across three months; 40% in September, 20% in October and 40% in November. All general practice and pharmacies in the United Kingdom will have the delivery of their orders by 17 November. This is a specific arrangement for 2018-19 to allow effective supply of the vaccine.

Influenza: Vaccination

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP surgeries (a) are waiting for a supply of this year's flu vaccine (b) have reported that their supply of this year's vaccine has been delayed.

Steve Brine: The flu vaccines used in the children’s flu programme are supplied centrally by Public Health England. There have not been delays to the provision of these vaccines to providers of the children’s flu programme in 2018. General practices and community pharmacies are responsible for procuring and ordering the seasonal flu vaccines for their eligible population. The adjuvanted trivalent flu vaccine (aTIV) is the recommended vaccine for those aged 65 years and over because it is a more effective vaccine for this age group and should offer better protection against flu. To enable aTIV to be available in 2018-19, deliveries have had to be phased between September and mid-November.

NHS Shared Business Services: Lost Property

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the performance of Steria UK in the delivery of NHS Special Business Service (NHS SBS) the failure of NHS SBS to disclose in a timely manner the loss of large numbers of personal documents.

Matt Hancock: The company has made organisational changes to ensure accurate assessment and reporting of risk is embedded in processes across the organisation, and made structural changes to the management of risk to ensure appropriate focus and reporting to the NHS Shared Business Services Management Team and the NHS Shared Business Services Main Board.The Department has already increased its membership of the NHS Shared Business Services Board.

NHS Shared Business Services: Lost Property

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place in the Library, copies of the internal (a) reviews and (b) documents in relation to the (i) loss of personal documents and (ii) failure to disclose the loss of personal documents by the NHS Special Business Service between 2004 and 2017.

Matt Hancock: Copies of the internal reviews cannot be provided as this would be likely to prejudice the exercise of audit functions. The internal correspondence relating to loss of personal documents is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

NHS: Migrant Workers

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings he has had with the Home Secretary on the ability of foreign nationals from (a) countries in the EU and (b) non-EU countries to move to the UK to work in the NHS; and what the (a) dates and (b) outcomes were of those meetings.

Stephen Barclay: My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on a number of issues, including on immigration and the ability of foreign nationals from both European Union and non-EU countries to work in the National Health Service. The Government values highly the enormous contribution of all those working across our health and care sector from across the EU and the rest of the world. This is why the Home Secretary recently removed doctors and nurses from the ambit of the Tier 2 visa cap, and why many NHS staff will have early access to the settled status scheme for EU nationals.

Pharmacy: Storage

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to build pharmaceutical cold storage facilities in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has no plans to build pharmaceutical cold storage facilities in the event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal. On 23 October 2018, the Department launched an invitation to tender inviting providers of warehouse space to bid for Government funding to cover the costs they would incur by providing additional storage space for stockpiled medicines to support our no-deal Exit contingency planning.

Learning Disability: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned timescale is for delivering mandatory learning disability awareness training for all staff working in nursery and healthcare environments.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of delivering mandatory learning disability awareness training for all staff working in nursery and healthcare environments.

Caroline Dinenage: In the Government’s response to the second Annual Report of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Programme, we committed to a public consultation on mandatory learning disability training for health and social care staff, but not nursery staff, which will conclude by the end of March 2019. An impact assessment considering the costs of delivering mandatory learning disability training will be published with the consultation document.

Mental Health Services: Safety

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the safety of patients on mental health wards.

Matt Hancock: NHS Improvement and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) launched a national Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme in May 2018. The overall aim of the programme is to ensure every National Health Service trust providing core mental health services in England has understood and agreed their safety priorities and made a measurable improvement in at least one key area of mental health safety by 31 March 2020. The focus the programme introduces is a three-way engagement meeting between the trust, the CQC and NHS Improvement that takes place after the CQC publishes its inspection report, resulting in a safety improvement plan.

Attorney General

Prosecutions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to his power to grant his consent to a prosecution, whether he is required to make that decision in accordance with the 1972 Franks Committee memorandum criteria of (a) whether the charge is being brought in appropriate circumstances, (b) the five reasons for the requirement of consent, as set out in that memorandum and (c) the mischief at which the criminal law in question was addressed.

Robert Buckland: For certain offences, Parliament has decided that the Attorney General’s consent is needed to bring a prosecution.The Home Office memorandum to the Franks Committee in 1972 gave guidance on the reasons for including a consent requirement when creating a criminal offence. It provided that the basic reason for including a consent requirement is that otherwise there would be a risk of prosecutions being brought in inappropriate circumstances and identified five broader overlapping reasons for including a consent requirement.It is a constitutional principle that, when deciding whether to consent to a prosecution, the Law Officers will consider all relevant facts including why it is proposed to bring the prosecution and the mischief which the proposed offence was intended to prevent and apply the well-established prosecution principles of evidential sufficiency and the public interest test.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff in his Department that are in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Mims Davies: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provide employer services on our behalf. However, members of staff can apply for universal credit in a personal capacity and there are a number of different factors which determine whether or not an individual is eligible. MoJ has no central record from which to determine the number and proportion of its staff in receipt of universal credit and it is not therefore possible to make an estimate of numbers.

Department for Education

Primary Education: LGBT People

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether all primary schools are required to deliver an LGBT-inclusive curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The national curriculum is designed to be accessible and relevant to all pupils. Schools are expected to ensure that teaching is inclusive of the needs of all pupils and must comply with the Equality Act.The Department is making Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools and Health Education compulsory in all state-funded primary schools. The Department has launched a public consultation on the draft regulations and guidance for these subjects. The draft guidance is clear that all pupils should feel that the content is relevant to them and that there should be an opportunity to explore the features of stable and healthy same-sex relationships.The consultation, which closes on 7 November, can be found here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/.Independent schools are already required by the independent school standards to provide personal, social, health and economic education to all pupils of compulsory school age.

Apprentices: Minimum Wage

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what enforcement procedures have been put in place in England to ensure that apprenticeship providers pay their apprentices the National Minimum Wage.

Anne Milton: Enforcement of all minimum wages, including the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for apprentices, is the responsibility of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).In the period 2017 to 2018, HMRC identified a record £15.6 million in total arrears owed to 200,000 workers who were underpaid the minimum wages and issued £14 million in penalties. HMRC continues to investigate 100% of complaints received from workers in respect of minimum wage law.The government’s naming scheme, which was introduced in 2013, provides HMRC with the power to publicly name employers who fail to pay minimum wages. 1,900 businesses have already been named. Between them, these businesses owed workers total arrears of more than £11 million. Apprentices are distinguished separately.Each new apprentice on a government-funded apprenticeship receives a letter from the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills which sets out what they can expect from their apprenticeship. This letter includes information on apprentices’ entitlement to the NMW.The Education and Skills Funding Agency’s Find an Apprenticeship service also has built-in automated checks to ensure that no apprenticeship vacancy can be advertised with a wage rate below the NMW level. An employer would not be able to submit a vacancy to Find an Apprenticeship until the NMW requirements are met.

Special Educational Needs

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the (a) number of children with special educational needs not enrolled in a school and (b) effect of those not so enrolled on their development.

Nadhim Zahawi: All children of compulsory school age, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled to a full-time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs (SEN) they may have.The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to work with parents, children, and providers to keep the provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) under review. Local authorities have a duty to provide suitable education for any pupil of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion or other reasons, would not get suitable education without such provision. The education that is arranged must provide full-time education, unless this would not be in a pupil’s best interests because of their health needs.Data on the placement of children and young people with an education, health and care (EHC) plan is published in table 1 of the ‘Statements of SEN and EHC Plans, England’ statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2018.

Training: Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2018 to Question 181594 on Training, what proportion of (a) the £24 million allocated to the CITB Construction Skills Fund and (b) the £30 million allocated to develop innovative ways to use education technology and artificial intelligence in education will be spent in the 2018-19 financial year.

Anne Milton: The CITB Construction Skills Funding is currently being agreed with the successful Construction Training Hubs providers across the country. We expect up to £9.2 million to be granted in 2018/19. A ministerial announcement about the successful projects will be made later this year.The government has also committed up to £30 million to develop innovative ways to use education technology and articial intelligence in education to deliver improved learning outcomes. As updated in my previous response on 24 October 2018, this funding will begin in the 2019-20 financial year and is profiled evenly between financials years 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Ministry of Justice

Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what arrangements the Government plans to introduce to monitor the effect of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 (a) nationally and (b) regionally.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice will monitor the effect of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 in conjunction with stakeholders. Monitoring will include counting the number of nationwide convictions and recording the penalties given for the new offence of assault on an emergency worker. The Act will also be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny in the usual way.

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of defendants who have had legal proceedings brought against them in Wales in each year from 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733996/court-outcomes-by-pfa-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, drag ‘Police Force Area’ field into the ‘Filters’ area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. For the number of prosecutions, filter the data using the ‘Court Type’ field to ’02: Magistrates Court’.

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of defendants who were prosecuted for indictable offences in Wales in each year from 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733996/court-outcomes-by-pfa-2017-update.xlsx. To limit the data to Wales, drag ‘Police Force Area’ field into the ‘Filters’ area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. To see the number of prosecutions for indictable offences, drag the ‘Offence Type’ field into rows and sum the amounts for ’01: Indictable only’ and ’02: Triable Either Way’. Please note that all cases are first heard at Magistrates Court and more serious cases are sent for trial or sentencing at Crown Court, therefore some cases may be counted twice within a given year – once at Magistrates and then again at Crown Court.

Alternatives to Prison: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many out of court disposals were issued in Wales in each year from 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published out of court disposals data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733984/out-of-court-disposals-tool-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, filter the data using Police Force Area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. For Penalty Notice for Disorders (PND) open the PND pivot table and limit the data to Wales. For each year, the grand total gives the number of PNDs issued. For cautions, open the Cautions pivot table and limit the data to Wales. For each year, the grand total gives the number of cautions issued.The proportions of different out of courts disposals cannot be produced, as data is only available for (b) PNDs, (c) cautions for indictable offences and (e) cautions for summary non-motoring offences. Open the Cautions pivot table, split the data by offence type, drag the ‘offence type’ variable from the filters box into the rows box (clear any variables that were already in the rows box). For each year, sum the number of cautions for indictable only and triable either way to get the number of cautions for indictable offences.

Alternatives to Prison: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of out of court disposals issued in Wales were in relation to (a) Community Resolutions, (b) Penalty Notices for Disorder, (c) cautions for indictable offences, (d) cannabis and khat warnings and (e) cautions for summary non-motoring offences in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published out of court disposals data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733984/out-of-court-disposals-tool-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, filter the data using Police Force Area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. For Penalty Notice for Disorders (PND) open the PND pivot table and limit the data to Wales. For each year, the grand total gives the number of PNDs issued. For cautions, open the Cautions pivot table and limit the data to Wales. For each year, the grand total gives the number of cautions issued.The proportions of different out of courts disposals cannot be produced, as data is only available for (b) PNDs, (c) cautions for indictable offences and (e) cautions for summary non-motoring offences. Open the Cautions pivot table, split the data by offence type, drag the ‘offence type’ variable from the filters box into the rows box (clear any variables that were already in the rows box). For each year, sum the number of cautions for indictable only and triable either way to get the number of cautions for indictable offences.

Police Cautions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were given a (a) simple and (b) conditional caution in Wales in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



Information on cautions is available in the published out of court disposals data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733984/out-of-court-disposals-tool-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, filter the data using Police Force Area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent,North Wales and South Wales. Open the Cautions pivot table and remove the variables from the rows box and drag the ‘Offence group’ variable from the filters box into the rows box. It is not possible to identify whether an offender received a simple or conditional caution as this data is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database. Summary motoring offences are mostly dealt with a Fixed Penalty Notice rather than a caution and as such are not included in the data.

Police Cautions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cautions were issued in Wales as a result of (a) violence against a person or persons, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) theft offences, (e) criminal damage and arson, (f) drug offences, (g) possession of a weapon or weapons, (h) public order offences, (i) miscellaneous crimes against society, (j) fraud offences, (k) summary offences involving motoring and (l) summary offences not involving motoring in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



Information on cautions is available in the published out of court disposals data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733984/out-of-court-disposals-tool-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, filter the data using Police Force Area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent,North Wales and South Wales. Open the Cautions pivot table and remove the variables from the rows box and drag the ‘Offence group’ variable from the filters box into the rows box. It is not possible to identify whether an offender received a simple or conditional caution as this data is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database. Summary motoring offences are mostly dealt with a Fixed Penalty Notice rather than a caution and as such are not included in the data.

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted at magistrates’ courts in Wales for (a) violence against a person or persons, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) theft offences, (e) criminal damage and arson, (f) drug offences, (g) possession of a weapon or weapons, (h) public order offences, (i) miscellaneous crimes against society, (j) fraud offences, (k) summary offences involving motoring, (l) summary offences not involving motoring and (m) indictable offences in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This data is published in the Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733996/court-outcomes-by-pfa-2017-update.xlsx

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people prosecuted for triable either-way-offences had their case heard at a (a) magistrates court, (b) Crown Court and (c) other court in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733996/court-outcomes-by-pfa-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, drag ‘Police Force Area’ field into the ‘Filters’ area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. To see the number of prosecutions for triable either-way offences, drag the ‘Offence Type’ field into rows and sum the amounts for ’02: Triable Either Way’. For triable either way prosecutions at Crown Court, select ’01: Crown Court’ in the ‘Court Type’ filter. The data provided relates to the number of defendants convicted divided by the number of defendants proceeded against within a given year, provided as a conviction ratio. This gives a measure of the relative number of defendants who are found guilty within a given year for a certain offence, when compared with the number who are prosecuted that year for the same offence. All cases are first heard at Magistrates Court and more serious cases are sent for trial or sentencing at Crown Court, therefore some cases may be counted twice within a given year – once at Magistrates and then again at Crown Court.

Trials: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of cases of triable either-way-offences were heard in Wales in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733996/court-outcomes-by-pfa-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, drag ‘Police Force Area’ field into the ‘Filters’ area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. To see the number of prosecutions for triable either-way offences, drag the ‘Offence Type’ field into rows and sum the amounts for ’02: Triable Either Way’. For triable either way prosecutions at Crown Court, select ’01: Crown Court’ in the ‘Court Type’ filter. The data provided relates to the number of defendants convicted divided by the number of defendants proceeded against within a given year, provided as a conviction ratio. This gives a measure of the relative number of defendants who are found guilty within a given year for a certain offence, when compared with the number who are prosecuted that year for the same offence. All cases are first heard at Magistrates Court and more serious cases are sent for trial or sentencing at Crown Court, therefore some cases may be counted twice within a given year – once at Magistrates and then again at Crown Court.

Convictions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of a crime in Wales in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733996/court-outcomes-by-pfa-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, drag ‘Police Force Area’ field into the ‘Filters’ area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. For convictions, remove the filter on ‘Court Type’, i.e. show all, and filter using the ‘Convicted/Not convicted’ field by selecting ’01: Convicted’. To break down convictions by offence group, show all court types and select ’01: Convicted’ in the ‘Convicted/Not convicted’ field and drag ‘Offence Group’ into the rows area. For indictable offences, clear the rows area and drag ‘Offence Type’ into rows.

Convictions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted in Wales for (a) violence against a person or persons, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) theft offences, (e) criminal damage and arson, (f) drug offences, (g) possession of a weapon or weapons, (h) public order offences, (i) miscellaneous crimes against society, (j) fraud offences, (k) summary offences involving motoring, (l) summary offences not involving motoring and (m) indictable offences in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733996/court-outcomes-by-pfa-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, drag ‘Police Force Area’ field into the ‘Filters’ area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. For convictions, remove the filter on ‘Court Type’, i.e. show all, and filter using the ‘Convicted/Not convicted’ field by selecting ’01: Convicted’. To break down convictions by offence group, show all court types and select ’01: Convicted’ in the ‘Convicted/Not convicted’ field and drag ‘Offence Group’ into the rows area. For indictable offences, clear the rows area and drag ‘Offence Type’ into rows.

Convictions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of trials in Wales resulted in a conviction in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 30 October 2018



This information is available in the published Court Outcomes by Police Force Area data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733996/court-outcomes-by-pfa-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, drag ‘Police Force Area’ field into the ‘Filters’ area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. To see the number of prosecutions for triable either-way offences, drag the ‘Offence Type’ field into rows and sum the amounts for ’02: Triable Either Way’. For triable either way prosecutions at Crown Court, select ’01: Crown Court’ in the ‘Court Type’ filter. The data provided relates to the number of defendants convicted divided by the number of defendants proceeded against within a given year, provided as a conviction ratio. This gives a measure of the relative number of defendants who are found guilty within a given year for a certain offence, when compared with the number who are prosecuted that year for the same offence. All cases are first heard at Magistrates Court and more serious cases are sent for trial or sentencing at Crown Court, therefore some cases may be counted twice within a given year – once at Magistrates and then again at Crown Court.

Offenders: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were in the criminal justice system in Wales in each year from 2013 to 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of successfully prosecuted cases for (i) violence against a person or persons, (ii) sexual offences, (iii) robbery, (iv) theft offences, (v) criminal damage and arson, (vi) drug offences, (vii) possession of a weapon or weapons, (viii) public order offences, (ix) miscellaneous crimes against society, (x) fraud offences, (xi) summary offences involving motoring, (xii) summary offences not involving motoring and (xiii) indictable offences in Wales in each year from 2013 to 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

County Courts: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was of exiting the lease, including dilapidations costs, as a result of the closure of Oldham County Court

Lucy Frazer: The cost of exiting the lease of Oldham County Court is as follows.   Removal of fixtures and fittings (decant and porterage; excludes IT decommissioning, which is captured in “other costs” below)£36,500Remaining lease paymentsNone – lease exited 17 Sept 2017DilapidationsNegotiations are ongoing with landlordOngoing security and utilities£630 (total cost between exit and disposal)Other costs£85,615The dilapidations figure is commercially sensitive as works are not yet complete. The financial benefit from operationally exiting Oldham County Court is £762k per annum.

Ministry of Justice: Buildings

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2018 to Question 157090 on Ministry of Justice: Buildings, how many days each Minister of his Department spent in Petty France between 6 November 2017 and 6 December 2017.

Edward Argar: Between 6 November 2017 and 6 December 2017 Dr Phillip Lee MP spent 13 days in the Ministry of Justice; David Lidington MP 15 days; Dominic Raab MP 6 days and Sam Gyimah MP 17 days.  Lord Keen has a dual role as Advocate General for Scotland and MoJ spokesperson in the House of Lords, as such, he spent 9 days in the department on Ministry of Justice business.  All ministers are required to split their departmental time between 102 Petty France and other locations such as the House of Commons/Lords. As such departmental meetings and business are regularly undertaken at the House of Commons/Lords, this reflects the nature of Parliamentary obligations and legislative business.  In addition to this, visits are often undertaken as part of Ministerial duties. The information provided is for days spent partially or entirely in 102 Petty France.

Debt Collection: Cameras

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it a legal requirement for court-appointed bailiffs to wear a functioning body camera when executing warrants at residential properties.

Lucy Frazer: The Government does not have any plans to make it a legal requirement for court appointed enforcement agents to wear a functioning body camera when executing warrants at residential properties.The Government will launch a call for evidence shortly to evaluate the enforcement agent reforms introduced by the Tribunals, Court and Enforcement Act 2007. Evidence received from the call for evidence will be used to inform our assessment of the current regulation of the industry, and options for further reform.

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders are in prison in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland; and how many foreign national offenders are held in each prison in the UK.

Rory Stewart: As at 30 September 2018, 8,577 foreign national offenders were detained in prisons in England and 227 were held in prisons in Wales. A breakdown of the foreign prisoner population in England and Wales by prison is available using the following link (Table 1.8):https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750700/population-q2-2018.ods More than 44,000 foreign national offenders have been removed from the UK since 2010, and in the last financial year almost 6,000 were removed from prisons, immigration removal centres, and the community. The number of foreign national offenders held in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for their respective governments.

Prison Officers: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the number of prison officers diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder in relation to their work in the prison service.

Rory Stewart: Information is not available on the number of prison officers diagnosed with PTSD in relation to their work in the prison service as there is no classification for PTSD available on the centralised recording of sick absence. HMPPS is committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of its staff in England and Wales, with all staff having access to a comprehensive occupational health service and employee assistance programme.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the increasing level of violence in prisons.

Rory Stewart: We have invested in over 3,000 additional staff in order to deliver consistent, purposeful regimes, and we are providing training to both new and existing staff to equip them to take on the new key worker role, in which they will provide more effective challenge and support to prisoners. We have introduced a new case management system for violent prisoners, known as the Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan.Our prison staff work incredibly hard and we are under no illusions about the challenges they face. We are taking urgent action to make prisons safer, and assaults on our staff will never be tolerated. That is why we are working with the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure successful prosecutions of those who assault them. It is also why the Government supported the recently passed Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act, which increases sentences for those who attack emergency workers, including prison officers. But the key to this must be consistent management of prisoner behaviour with clear expectations.We are taking further measures to protect our staff, including investing in 5,600 body-worn cameras and in rigid-bar handcuffs. Early next year we will begin to equip every prison officer in the adult male prison estate with PAVA incapacitant spray. PAVA can help to prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners alike, as well as being a tool to persuade prisoners in the act of violence to stop. It will be deployed only in prisons that have rolled out key workers, and in which staff have been properly trained, because we are clear that it is building relationships between prisoners and staff that provides the key to reducing violence in prisons.

Prisoners: Females

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department’s policies of the findings of a report by Inquest entitled Still Dying on the inside: examining deaths in women's prisons, published in May 2018, that 93 women have died in custody in England and Wales since March 2007;  and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: We are very aware of the number of women who have tragically died in our custody, and we welcome the Inquest report that rightly draws attention to the figures and to the risks this population presents. I look forward to meeting Inquest soon to discuss the recommendations in their report. Our published statistics show that the 93 deaths from 2007 to 2017 to which the report refers include 41 from natural causes, 39 that were apparently self-inflicted and 13 other deaths, including 6 that have yet to be classified. The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep staff and prisoners safe, and we are committed to reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in our prisons. This is why we have established a prison safety programme through which we are taking forward a comprehensive set of actions to improve safety in custody. This includes a workstream on women offenders, which has drawn on helpful reports from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman and the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody to identify and take forward focused work in women’s prisons. These are in addition to the measures that we are taking across the estate, which include rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners (which has already reached more than 17,000 staff); improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody; revising the ACCT case management process for those identified as being at risk; and renewing our partnership with the Samaritans by confirming a further three years' grant funding for their valuable Listeners Scheme. On 27 June we published our strategy for female offenders, which sets out our vision and plan to improve outcomes for women both in the community and in custody. We want to see:fewer women coming into the criminal justice system;fewer women in custody, especially on short-term sentences, and a greater proportion of women successfully managed in the community; andbetter conditions for those in custody.A key theme in the strategy is the need for a joined-up approach to addressing female offenders’ often complex needs. We know that we will make progress in meeting these needs only by adopting a partnership approach at both national and local level. We hope to publish our National Concordat on Female Offenders by the end of the year. This will be a cross-governmental statement of intent and commitment to improve the outcomes for female offenders in a holistic, whole-systems approach.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Qatar

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he made of the ability of the Government of Qatar to obtain alternative funding for the import of (a) Typhoon and Hawk aircraft and (b) associated goods and services before providing UK Export Finance support.

Graham Stuart: UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) mission is to ensure no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance from the private sector, while operating at no net cost to the taxpayer.It is normal for buyers to look to pay for very large capital expenditures over time in order to spread their costs over a manageable period. UKEF’s support was critical to ensuring the success of the Typhoon contract with the Government of Qatar.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2018 to Question 176357, whether his Department has any plans to regulate or monitor the provision of accessible homes in the UK as a strategic priority.

Kit Malthouse: The Government‘s Building Regulations Advisory Committee is presently scoping a review of relevant guidance (Part M of the Building Regulations guidance), which will include a strategic look at the impact of accessible housing standards on provision.A recent report by Habinteg indicates that the use of accessible housing standards by local planning authorities is increasing. The Government also continues to survey the accessible features of homes at regular intervals through the English Housing Survey.

Planning Permission: Fines

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many times developers have been fined in England and Wales for a breach of planning permissions in 2017; and what the value was of those fines.

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the 10 most common breaches for which developers were fined in England and Wales for breach of planning permissions in 2017.

Kit Malthouse: My Department does not hold specific information on court fines for breaches of planning control. The Government is clear that effective enforcement is important to tackle breaches of planning control. We have given local authorities a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance. Effective use of these powers is important as a means of maintaining public confidence in the planning system.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.

Jake Berry: The Department encourages its staff to voluntarily disclose their national identity and regularly review their diversity and inclusion profile throughout the course of their employment. However, as this information is collected by the Department on a purely voluntary basis it would be potentially misleading to provide this information in the format requested.The Department’s executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies similarly collect this information on a voluntarily basis and therefore cannot confirm exact numbers reliably.The Department is bound by EU and UK requirements concerning right-to-work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Council Tax: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 25 October 2018 to Questions 182083 and 182084, on Council Tax: Dorset, whether he plans to consult on the draft secondary legislation providing for harmonisation that he referred to in those Answers; and whether exemplifications of the different methods of calculating average made council tax is planned to be made available to facilitate public understanding.

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the  Answers of 25 October 2018 to Questions 182083 and 182084, on Council Tax: Dorset, whether that draft secondary legislation will enable both new Dorset unitary authorities to adopt a day one weighted average harmonisation model to ensure that no council tax is foregone in 2019-2020.

Rishi Sunak: As I explained in my answer of 22 October to the Hon Member's Question UIN 180627, it is now open to the shadow Dorset Council and the shadow Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, the membership of which includes the areas' elected representatives, to comment on the approach to council tax harmonisation which we are minded to adopt. Having regard to any comments we receive, we will decide the approach to council tax harmonisation to be adopted, and make any legislation necessary for its implementation which will be accompanied by such an Explanatory Memorandum as Parliamentary procedures require.

Ministry of Defence

Saudi Arabia: Armed Forces

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance the Government provides to (a) Saudi-based UK military personnel and (b) private contractors to the MoD under Saudi armed forces project on reporting suspicions of violations of international humanitarian law.

Stuart Andrew: Holding answer received on 26 October 2018



Military personnel, wherever they are serving, would be expected to report any concerns about possible violations of international humanitarian law through submissions to their chain of command.We expect any UK-contractors providing support under the Saudi Armed Forces Projects who might witness or otherwise receive information on violations of international humanitarian law to report it through their companies.

Navy: South China Sea

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many freedom of navigation exercises were conducted in the South China Sea by the Royal Navy in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018; and how many exercises his Department has planned for 2019.

Mark Lancaster: There were no maritime deployments to the region in 2017. HMS Sutherland, HMS Albion and HMS Argyll deployed to East Asia in 2018. HMS Montrose is scheduled to deploy to the region in 2019. The deployments so far have involved a mix of bilateral defence engagement events with regional partners and allies, bilateral and multilateral training and exercises, and activity in support of UNSCR and the maintenance of global norms of behaviour.During their deployments in East Asia, HMS Sutherland and HMS Albion have both asserted their rights to freedom of navigation, in accordance with international law. We do not comment on the details of future deployments as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Whenever UK aircraft and vessels navigate through the South China Sea, they do so in full compliance with international law and norms - as they do wherever they are operating in the world. We are committed to upholding the rules-based international system, including the assertion of rights of freedom of navigation and overflight, as they are laid out under the high seas freedoms under Article 87 of UNCLOS.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Saudi pilots have been trained at (a) RAF Valley and (b) other RAF bases in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Lancaster: 102 Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) pilots have been trained at RAF bases in the last ten years. Of these, 30 RSAF pilots have undertaken training at RAF Valley as part of their training programme.

Nuclear Weapons

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to undertake a review of the location of nuclear missiles on UK soil in response to the decision by the US Administration to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Stuart Andrew: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him during the Urgent Question by the Minister for Asia and the Pacific (Mark Field) on 25 October 2018 (Official Report, column 444).



20181031 - Nuclear Treaty: US Withdrawal
(Word Document, 25.54 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Capita

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which contracts awarded by his Department are operated by Capita.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has 81 current contracts with Capita and 49 contracts which have end dates in the past but which are still to receive final payments or be formally closed down on the system. The total value of these arrangements is £1.28 billion.This analysis incorporates contracts with Capita subsidiaries including PageOne Communications and Trustmarque Solutions.These contracts cover a range of services, including the Army Recruiting Partnering Project, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Strategic Business Partner and the Higher Education Pathway contract.

AWACS: Exports

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the export potential of the E-7 Wedgetail radar aircraft.

Stuart Andrew: Final assembly of the E-7 aircraft and radar combination would be undertaken in the UK and Boeing have confirmed that it intends to use the same facility to meet any future E-7 sales opportunities for other customers. Through-life, we anticipate that support and training would be undertaken within the UK, directly leading to UK jobs.

Air Force: Publicity

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the absence of the Royal Air Force aerobatic team during part of the 2019 UK air display season, what steps his Department is taking to promote the Royal Air Force to a domestic audience in the next calendar year.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The tour of North America in 2019 by the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team is a large-scale tour which will support the UK prosperity agenda through the GREAT Britain campaign. The RAF will continue to engage with the domestic audience in the air and on the ground, and will build on the success of the RAF 100 campaign. In particular, other air display assets including Typhoon, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Falcons Parachute Team will be available to support a variety of events and their participation will be carefully prioritised to deliver maximum impact.

Ministry of Defence: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This information is not held in the format requested for Ministry of Defence civilian employees.For information on the numbers of non-UK EU citizens in the UK Regular Armed Forces, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 June 2018 to Question 154798 to the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Mr Stone). 



154798-WQnA extract on Armed Forces: EU Nationals
(Word Document, 23.18 KB)

AWACS: Procurement

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the announcement, Wedgetail is on the radar, Defence Secretary announces ahead of NATO conference, published by his Department in October 2018, what proportion of the (a) workshare; and (b)  jobs are planned to be based in the UK in the event that the E7-Wedgetail is chosen as the replacement for the Sentry fleet.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the workshare for support and maintenance contracts for the Wedgetail fleet he plans to be undertaken by UK-based companies.

Stuart Andrew: While a final investment decision has not yet been made, the Ministry of Defence is working closely with Boeing to ensure they explore how Britain's defence industry could also benefit from any procurement. Boeing has confirmed that it would plan to establish an assembly line in Cambridge for the integration of the radar and aircraft, and that it would be their intent to use such a line to fulfil orders for other nations should they be secured. Through-life, we anticipate that support and training would be undertaken within the UK, directly leading to UK jobs.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State forWork and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2018 to Question 171381 on Employment and Support Allowance, what estimate she has made of the cost of providing information on how many people flowed off Employment and Support Allowance whose date of death was at the same time, and who had a Work Capability Assessment decision of fit for work between March 2014 and February 2017.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 11 October 2018



The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However the Department does monitor requests we receive for statistics and consider whether we can produce and release analysis that will helpfully inform public debate. The Department is therefore looking at this with a view to providing statistics on this issue in the future.

Supported Housing: Housing Benefit

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether tenants living in supported housing will have their housing benefit replaced with universal credit as a result of the roll-out of universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: In October 2017 we consulted on proposals to achieve a sustainable funding provision for supported housing. This included a ring fenced local authority grant for short-term provision and an enhanced regulatory regime for sheltered and extra care housing (“Sheltered Rent”).We took note of all the consultation responses and opinions, in particular listening to views expressed by the sector throughout the process, working closely with providers and others.As a result, on 9th August, we announced that we will maintain all of supported housing in Housing Benefit. This decision reflects our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable people in our society.At present, there are no plans to replace housing benefit for those in supported accommodation and claiming universal credit, as a result of universal credit roll-out. .

Supported Housing: Mental Illness

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria mental health supported housing must meet to qualify as exempt accommodation in relation to occupants in receipt of (a) housing benefit and (b) universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: For mental health supported housing to qualify for exempt accommodation (a) the accommodation must be provided by:A housing association, whether registered or unregisteredA registered charityA non for profit voluntary organisationAn English non-metropolitan county council (b) But only if (in each of the above) care, support and supervision are provided to the claimant. The above applies to occupants receiving housing benefit and universal credit. Claimants in exempt accommodation can get housing benefit even if they are on universal credit.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average call duration is of a universal credit telephone enquiry.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average call waiting time is for a universal credit telephone enquiry.

Alok Sharma: This summer we introduced a new routed telephony service for Universal Credit Full Service claims where claimants with an existing claim are connected directly to the person or team who are dealing with their case. Of the calls offered via the 0800 328 5644 (Universal Credit Full Service) number during September 2018, the average call duration was 6 minutes and 54 seconds and the average call waiting time was 1 minute and 6 seconds. We also provide a free national enquiry service for calls from people who do not yet have a processed claim. For the month of September the average call duration of a telephone enquiry to the Universal Credit Full Service enquiry line was 6 minutes and 15 seconds and the average call waiting time was 6 minutes and 10 seconds.

Disability: Wrexham

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people aged 16 to 64 by category of disability there are in the Wrexham constituency.

Sarah Newton: Table 1 below shows the estimated number of people aged 16 to 64 who have a disability in Wrexham. It also shows the disability prevalence, as well as the equivalent figures for the UK. Estimates for constituencies are based on small sample sizes and are therefore subject to a margin of uncertainty. Therefore, these estimates should be treated with caution. The “confidence interval” of 4 percentage points means that we can be 95% confident that the true value lies between 13% and 20% (calculated using unrounded figures). Sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates of categories of disability by constituency. Table 1: the number and percentage of disabled people, aged 16 to 64, in Wrexham, and the UK, July 2016 to June 2017 Number of disabled peopleTotal populationDisability Prevalence (%)Confidence Interval (percentage points)Wrexham7,00044,000174United Kingdom7,386,00041,081,00018 Source: Annual Population Survey, available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/ Notes:The Annual Population Survey was used to provide a larger sample size to provide constituency breakdowns. Therefore, estimates for the UK will not exactly match estimates from the Labour Force Survey published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in their UK Labour Market statistics bulletin.Estimates are provided for the period July 2016 to June 2017 which is the latest period published by ONS without health warnings. More recent estimates remain subject to health warnings while ONS complete their investigations into an unexpected increase in reporting of disability in July to September 2017.In summary, the disability definition covers people who report:(current) physical or mental health condition(s) or illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or morethe condition(s) or illness(es) reduce their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.Figures are rounded to the nearest 1000. Percentages are rounded to one percentage point.Estimates are subject to sampling variation and are therefore subject to a margin of uncertainty. The ‘confidence interval’ measures this uncertainty, such that we can be 95% confident that the true disability prevalence falls within that distance of the estimate.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child maintenance has not been paid by non-resident parents to parents with care to date (a) in total and (b) under the Collect and Pay scheme in each year since 2012 where figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: The latest statistics on unpaid maintenance are published in Table 9 of the Child Maintenance Service: August 2013 to June 2018 (experimental) statistics available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-june-2018-experimental. The figures include all unpaid maintenance from Direct Pay arrangements that have broken down and subsequently transferred onto the Collect & Pay Service. Data on payments made directly between parents on Direct Pay are not available.

Universal Credit

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the merits of including in universal credit financial support for administration costs when a child starts a childcare place.

Justin Tomlinson: Universal Credit claimants are able to claim up to 85% of childcare costs. Universal Credit childcare costs can be claimed for one month prior to starting work, to enable a child to settle into a new routine. In addition, the Flexible Support Fund is also available to help parents pay childcare deposits or up-front fees.

Department for Work and Pensions: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 182118 on Department for Work and Pensions: Contracts, how her Department distinguishes between (a) legitimate statements which are critical of government policy or politicians and (b) statements which may bring the Authority into disrepute or otherwise harm the confidence of the public in Government.

Justin Tomlinson: Contractual provisions that impose obligations on suppliers not to harm the reputation of the purchasing authority or otherwise bring it into disrepute are widely used in both the public and private sector and are transparent throughout the tendering process. These provisions ensure that contractors adhere to good working practices and governance, for example by ensuring they do not break employment law or use dangerous, unfair or unethical practices which may bring the Authority into disrepute or harm public confidence. Such provisions do not stop any contract holders or affiliates from criticising any specific government department or government policy.

Universal Credit

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the proportion of universal credit claimants that are using the childcare element.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours. To overcome this barrier to employment we increased the level of support for childcare costs within Universal Credit from 70 per cent to 85 per cent. The available information on the number of households in receipt of the childcare element of Universal Credit is published and can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.htmlUniversal Credit claimants can also benefit from the 15 and 30 hours of free childcare offer, where eligible.

Universal Credit

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children in families receiving universal credit who have lost an early years placement because of the late payment of childcare costs.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the cumulative effect on people with disabilities of the number of different assessments required to access benefits; and what steps she is taking to reduce that number.

Sarah Newton: The Department recognises that many of those claiming benefits are particularly vulnerable and we continue to explore ways to improve the customer journey for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants. We recognise that attending a Work Capability Assessment or a PIP assessment can be a stressful experience, which is why we do not carry out a face-to-face assessment where there is enough existing evidence to determine benefit entitlement for either benefit. In addition, those placed in ESA’s Support Group, and the Universal Credit equivalent, who have the most severe and lifelong health conditions or disabilities, whose level of function would always mean that they would have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, and be unlikely ever to be able to move into work, will no longer be routinely reassessed. With regard to PIP, in August 2018, we introduced updated guidance for case managers which will ensure that those who receive the highest level of support under PIP, and where their needs are unlikely to change or may get worse, will now receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at the ten year point.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Defra does not record or collate information on staff in receipt of universal credit.

Pet Travel Scheme

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2018 to Question 180250 on Pet Travel Scheme, if he will publish the (a) increased resources at major UK ports and (b) the responsibilities of the intelligence-led Task Force.

David Rutley: The Animal and Plant Health Agency is responsible for monitoring puppy imports at major UK ports. Since January 2017 the resources made available for monitoring puppy imports have increased by one-third. The Task Force is a forum that enables agencies to collaborate in coordinating action to disrupt and reduce illegal dog importation activities. Membership of the Task Force and specific responsibilities are in the process of being agreed and this is expected to be finalised in the near future.

Beverage Containers: Recycling

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the food and beverage industry on the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In autumn 2017, the Voluntary and Economic Incentives working group held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. This included seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit and reward and return schemes, and gave the food and beverage industry the opportunity to provide their views. Defra officials held a stakeholder workshop, including representatives from the food and beverage industry, in June this year to discuss early thinking on a deposit return scheme and seek their feedback. Defra Ministers and Officials continue to engage with stakeholders from the food and beverage industry on an individual basis to discuss issues related to introducing a deposit return scheme. The Government has confirmed that it will introduce a deposit return scheme in England, subject to consultation later this year. The upcoming consultation will allow a further opportunity for the food and beverage industry to inform the development of any deposit return scheme.

Waste Disposal: Crime

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans in addition to those recently announced his Department has to tackle waste crime.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Tackling all forms of waste crime is a Government priority. We have commissioned a review of serious and organised waste crime and, following this, we will set out our strategic approach to waste crime. The strategic approach will aim to prevent, detect and deter all forms of waste crime and will be published as part of this Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy.

Fly-tipping

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to strengthen local authorities' powers to tackle fly-tipping; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to tackling fly-tipping and we work closely with local authorities and the Local Government Association through the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG).It is the responsibility of local authorities to use the full range of enforcement powers available to them to tackle fly-tipping. We have recently strengthened these powers by introducing fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping and enhancing the ability of local authorities to search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. The NFTPG has published guidance which sets out clearly the powers available to local authorities when tackling fly-tipping.Earlier this year we consulted on proposals to introduce a new fixed penalty for householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper. We also intend to provide updated guidance for householders about how to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly. Subject to Parliamentary approval, we will seek to implement the changes later this year. As two thirds of fly-tipping contains household waste, these additional measures will give local authorities another tool to tackle fly-tipping.

Water Companies: Standards

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the performance of the water industry.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government and regulators have taken a number of steps in recent months to improve water company performance: At the Water UK City Conference in March, the Secretary of State challenged companies to respond to public concerns over their performance and financial and corporate practices.In April, Ofwat announced its reforms for the sector. These push companies to share benefits of their financial arrangements with customers and ensure greater transparency in dividends and executive pay.In July, the Secretary of State held a meeting with water companies who had missed their leakage targets and had a poor record on leakage and challenged them to improve their performance. Water companies submitted their draft business plans to Ofwat in September. These give an early indication that water companies are responding positively to the challenge. The industry is aiming to reduce leakage by 16% by 2025, the highest reduction for 20 years. Companies have committed to increase investment by 13% compared to the previous price review period (PR14) and plan to reduce bills by 4% in real terms on average. Ofwat will now scrutinise water companies’ business plans to make sure they have responded adequately the challenges. Water companies have committed to close all Cayman Island structures by the end of the year.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference, held in London on 11 and 12 October 2018.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The conference represented a significant step forward in the global fight to eliminate the illegal wildlife trade. Evaluation of the conference showed very high levels of satisfaction with the content, structure and opportunities to build partnerships that it offered. The London 2018 conference declaration has been sign by 56 countries so far and of these a significant number have made important commitments to take specific actions. A copy of the declaration can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/declaration-london-conference-on-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-2018. A full list of the commitments made will be published shortly in the form of an annex to the declaration.

Plastics: Seas and Oceans

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce plastics that are present in oceans.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK has made significant progress to address the scourge of plastic in the oceans. Our ban on microbeads in cosmetic and personal care products, one of the strongest in the world, came into force in June 2018. We are also researching the management of other sources of microplastics such as microfibres in tyres and the textile industry, which will help to inform future policy measures. Our plastic bag charge has led to an 86% reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags and last year alone raised over £51million for environmental causes.We are also consulting on banning or restricting the distribution and/or sale of plastic stemmed cotton buds, stirrers and straws.The UK is committed to our international work to lead action on the global threat of marine litter. We continue to actively engage internationally through OSPAR, the G7 and the G20, and the UN. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister announced the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance, a ground-breaking initiative working with our Commonwealth partners to reduce marine plastic pollution. To help deliver this, we committed an ambitious package of up to £66.4m of UK Aid to drive research and innovation and stop plastic from entering into the oceans in the first place. Through this alliance we will build on the UK’s world-leading microbeads ban and 5p plastic bag charge to harness the full power of the Commonwealth in safeguarding our marine environment for future generations.Although 80% of plastic waste comes from land, 20% comes from oceans sources. Ghost fishing gear accounts for 10% of all plastic waste in the ocean and presents acute threats to marine life. That is why the UK signed up to the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) in 2016, a pioneering scheme tackling lost and abandoned fishing gear on a global scale. Through this initiative we are committed to working with our partners to address the management of existing ghost gear and the mitigation of potential ghost gear.

Veterinary Services

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with organisations in the animal health and welfare sector on the provision of veterinary medicines in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

David Rutley: Since the referendum, we have proactively engaged with the animal health industry, to discuss the continued availability of veterinary medicines following exit from the EU, including in the scenario of a no deal exit. We have held a number of industry open days and workshops and continue to hold regular meetings with key industry representative bodies, such as the National Office for Animal Health who are the animal medicines industry body and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Industry has welcomed our proactive and continued engagement with them.

Cats and Dogs: Meat

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has bring forward legislative proposals to ban the human consumption of dog and cat meat in the UK.

David Rutley: I refer the Hon Member to the reply given to Lord Selkirk of Douglas on 31 October 2018 to PQ HL10787.

Air Pollution: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce legislative proposals for a vehicle scrappage scheme to support the delivery of a clean air plan in Greater Manchester.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Local authorities are able to propose local scrappage schemes for consideration and we await any proposals Greater Manchester may put forward in their Clean Air Plan expected by the end of the year.

Home Office

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total number of people charged by the police or summonsed in Wales was in each year from 2013 to 2017.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office publish data on the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales that result in a charge or summons. However, it is not possible to identify the number of people charged or summonsed from the data centrally held. The latest figures including time series can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Immigration

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for leave to remain in the UK were certified as being complex and therefore fell outside of Home Office service standards for each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: ‘Leave to Remain’ covers a range of in-country application categories.Published records of in-country applications are available from May 2014. The most recent published statistics, which include applications categorised as straightforward and non-straightforward, are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-august-2018

UK Border Force and UK Visas and Immigration: Training

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training his Department provides to (a) Border Force and (b) UK Visas and Immigration staff on handling traumatised people.

Caroline Nokes: All frontline officers undertake e-learning in keeping children safe, Section 55 safeguarding responsibilities, trafficking indicators, the National Referral Mechanism, Female Genital Mutilation and Modern Slavery.All new Border Force staff now undertake a four hour classroom based module on protecting the vulnerable. This Protecting The Vulnerable (PTV) module is mandatory and is also included in training for seasonal workforce. Evaluation of this module is that it is having a positive effect on the skills of new officers and work is underway to use this to up-skill all existing BF frontline staff.Border Force also has a network of specially trained Safeguarding and Modern Slavery (SAMS) teams who receive a classroom training course focussing on the knowledge and skills needed for this area.For UK Visa’s and Immigration staff. A training package is delivered to all staff who handle refugees with trauma called Vicarious Trauma. This course is designed to encourage Decision-Makers to reflect upon the nature of asylum work and consider how it may affect them psychologically and emotionally. It raises awareness of both the psychological factors affecting Decision Makers and the potential risks which accompany this work.In addition, the Home Office offers Safeguarding training to all staff who handle refuges with trauma. The Home Office has worked closely with experts in trauma in developing its policy guidance on asylum screening, in particular Freedom from Torture.The employee assistance programme (EAP) aids with any emotional or practical problems, for example anxiety, bereavement, sexual harassment, debt or depression. The EAP gives impartial, confidential support to staff. The EAP provides practical, up to date information on a wide range of topics. There is also a manager support area with advice on disputes, mental health issues and traumatic incidents.’

Asylum: Mental Health

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what screening his Department undertakes to identify trauma in applicants for asylum.

Caroline Nokes: A key objective of the asylum screening process is to create a secure and positive environment that supports claimants to disclose as much relevant information as possible, including medical conditions, disabilities or experience of trauma that may make the person vulnerable.Asylum claimants are directly asked about their physical and mental health as part of the screening questionnaire. If the responses provided, or the claimant’s general demeanour, indicate that they may be a victim of trauma, the screening officer will record this information to ensure appropriate onward routing and management. Depending on the extent of their vulnerability, they may also make a referral to the Asylum Safeguarding Hub.The guidance for staff who register asylum claims and complete the screening process for asylum claimants can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-screening-and-routing

Refugees: Mental Health

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what supervision and support his Department provides for staff who handle refugees with trauma.

Caroline Nokes: We are committed to delivering an asylum process that is sensitive to the needs of the claimants so that sufficient information can be obtained to facilitate fair and sustainable decisions on asylum claims. All interviewing and decision making personnel receive extensive training on interviewing and considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance when conducting screening and substantive asylum interviews and considering asylum claims.A training package is delivered to all staff who handle refugees with trauma called Vicarious Trauma. This course is designed to encourage Decision-Makers to reflect upon the nature of asylum work and consider how it may affect them psychologically and emotionally. It raises awareness of both the psychological factors affecting Decision-Makers and the potential risks which accompany this work.In addition, the Home Office offers Safeguarding training to all staff who handle refuges with trauma. The Home Office has worked closely with experts in trauma in developing its policy guidance on asylum screening, in particular Freedom from Torture.The employee assistance programme (EAP) aids staff with any emotional or practical problems, for example anxiety, bereavement, sexual harassment, debt or depression. The EAP gives impartial, confidential support to staff. The EAP provides practical, up to date information on a wide range of topics. There is also a manager support area with advice on disputes, mental health issues and traumatic incidents.

Home Office and UK Border Force: Training

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to (a) Home Office and (b) Border Force staff on child sexual exploitation.

Caroline Nokes: All frontline officers undertake e-learning in keeping children safe, Section 55 safeguarding responsibilities, trafficking indicators, the National Referral Mechanism, Female Genital Mutilation and Modern Slavery.Border Force also has a network of specially trained Safeguarding and Modern Slavery (SAMS) teams who receive a classroom training course focussing on the knowledge and skills needed for this area.Section 55 of the Borders Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 sets out that the Secretary of State must have due regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK while discharging statutory functions in relation to asylum, immigration, nationality and customs. Section 55 places an obligation on the Home Office, including all Border Force staff, to ensure that in carrying out existing functions, the child’s safety and welfare is given priority. The definition of a child for this statutory obligation is a person under the age of 18.In 2014, the Home Office fully accepted recommendations made in the Independent Review by Peter Wanless (Chief Executive of the NSPCC) and Richard Whittam QC[1]. This means that if a member of Home Office staff refers an allegation of child abuse to the police, they must also ensure that it has been recorded appropriately. Guidance has been issued to provide information to staff on how this should be done.1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allegations-of-child-sexual-abuse-in-rotherham-wanless-and-whittam-qc-review

Home Office and UK Border Force: Training

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to (a) Home Office and (b) Border Force staff on women and girls who (i) have been subject to and (ii) are at risk of female genital mutilation.

Caroline Nokes: Female genital mutilation is a crime and is child abuse. Border Force frontline officers undertake FGM training to learn about geographical areas of prevalence, girls at potential risk and how to deal with situations when they have concerns. Officers are also alert to the identification of FGM indicative paraphernalia which may be found in baggage or parcels intercepted. Border Force plays a vital role in helping to identify and protect potential victims of FGM travelling to and from the UK.Female Genital Mutilation is the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for no medical reason. It is also known as female circumcision or cutting.FGM is illegal under the FGM Act 2003 - it has been a specific offence since 1985 and has a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment. Since 2010, the Government has:o significantly strengthened the law on FGM and forced marriage;o issued a range of materials to support professionals to help them understand these issues, including publishing statutory multi-agency guidance and making available free e-learning; andour FGM and Forced Marriage Units are carrying out ongoing programmes of outreach for professionals and communities.

Visas: Performing Arts

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visitor visas have been refused to international performers sponsored to attend a UK festival in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The UK continues to welcome artists, entertainers and musicians coming to the UK to perform and take part in festivals and events. The Home Office is working with the creative sector to better understand their needs, clarify visa requirements and ensure processes are as smooth as possible.Information relating to visitor visas is released quarterly as part of the Home Office’s Immigration Statistics, which are available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#visas. Standard visitors can undertake all the permitted activities as set out in the Immigration Rues. Data is not available to identify those visitors performing at festivals. To acquire data with that level of detail would require a manual examination of all records.

Visas: Applications

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) equity of the UK visit visa application process; and what plans he has to review that application process.

Caroline Nokes: The visa system is kept under continuous review. UK Visas and Immigration is delivering a programme of ongoing improvements to the visa customer journey. Changes are being made to the visit visa application process to facilitate increasing demand, and to ensure customers receive a more flexible and efficient service.These include; a new online application service, with streamlined and intuitive forms, self-service channels for providing supporting evidence and biometrics, and expanding access to our premium and priority service options.

Visas

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of visitor visas were (a) granted and (b) refused for each nationality in 2017.

Caroline Nokes: The information available relates to total entry clearance visitor visas granted, and refused, and is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q, latest edition athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#visas

Hate Crime: Transphobia

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle transphobic hate crime.

Victoria Atkins: On 16 October 2018 the Government published Action Against Hate: the Government’s plan for tackling hate crime – two years on.The Action Plan includes a number of commitments addressing all forms of hate crime, including a review of hate crime legislation by the Law Commission, projects to tackle prejudice, and an upcoming public awareness campaign to address the issue.Specific commitments addressing transphobic hate crime include: the Crown Prosecution Service working with partners to improve the recording and monitoring of equalities data for LGBT victims of hate crime and reviewing and refreshing its LGBT Hate Crime Schools Pack; further Government Equalities Office funding for anti-bullying interventions in schools from March 2019 to March 2020; new guidance for Door Supervisors to increase their awareness of transgender hate crimes; and continued engagement with LBGT stakeholders informed by the findings from Government’s LGBT survey (published this summer) and the ideas generated at Galop’s anti-LGBT hate crime roundtable in July 2018.

Serious Violence Taskforce: Social Media

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 182082 on drugs: crime, whether invitations extended to representatives from (a) Kik Messenger, (b) Snapchat, (c) Telegram, (d) Viber, (e) Wickr and (f) other social media and messenger sites to attend the meeting of the Serious Violence Taskforce chaired by the Home Secretary on 11 June 2018.

Victoria Atkins: Representatives from Google and Facebook were invited to attend the Se-rious Violence Taskforce on 11 June to present the action being taken to tackle violent content online.This reflects levels of concern about the content hosted by these platforms, as well as their more developed engagement with the issue of online serious violence including through their membership of our social media action group.

Gangs: Social Media

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 182082 on drugs: crime, which body will be responsible for the operation of the new national police capability to tackle gang related activity on social media; and what the planned timescale is for the establishment of that body.

Victoria Atkins: The new social media hub is hosted within the Metropolitan Police Service and is a new hub under the National Police Chiefs Council banner that builds on the lessons learnt from MPS’ Operation Domain.The hub will initially look to target the highest harm gangs in London. The hub will be formally established early next year, when it will engage with other forces in England and Wales as the concepts and tools are developed, in order to build capabilities nationally and share best practice approaches to tackling online violent content.

Synthetic Cannabinoids

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to reclassify black mamba as a class A drug; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: A wide range of synthetic cannabinoids are misleadingly supplied under the street names Black Mamba and Spice.We recognise how dangerous these drugs can be. That is why we acted to control this group of substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and making longer sentences for dealers possible.Following two previous changes to legislation, the most recent controls for 'third generation' synthetic cannabinoids came into effect in December 2016 on the advice of the Advisory Council of the Misuse of drugs. As with all controlled drugs we will continue to monitor the impact of these controls.

Synthetic Cannabinoids

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to reclassify Spice as a class A drug; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: A wide range of synthetic cannabinoids are misleadingly supplied under the street names Black Mamba and Spice.We recognise how dangerous these drugs can be. That is why we acted to control this group of substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and making longer sentences for dealers possible.Following two previous changes to legislation, the most recent controls for 'third generation' synthetic cannabinoids came into effect in December 2016 on the advice of the Advisory Council of the Misuse of drugs. As with all controlled drugs we will continue to monitor the impact of these controls.

Fire and Rescue Services: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2018 to Question 156428 on Fire and Rescue Services: Finance, how much of the £2.3 billion funding for fire and rescue authorities in 2018-19 he plans to allocate to South Yorkshire.

Mr Nick Hurd: In 2018/19, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority will receive £49.3 million in core spending power. This is an increase of 0.8% compared with 2017/18. In addition, at March 2018, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority held £24.5 million in reserves, equivalent to 49.7% of core spending power.

UK Visas and Immigration: Biometrics

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the what date the Sopra Steria contract for the delivery of UKVI biometric services commences.

Caroline Nokes: The Sopra Steria contract for delivery of UKVI services commences on 9th November 2018 and will roll out nationally throughout the rest of November.During November 2018, we will offer relevant customers the choice between using the new Sopra Steria service or the existing arrangements through Post Office Limited.

UK Visas and Immigration: Biometrics

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many libraries in Wales will host UKVI biometric services under the contract for the provision of those services by Sopra Steria.

Caroline Nokes: There will be 3 libraries in Wales who will host UKVI services under the contract for the provision of those services by Sopra Steria. The 3 locations will be Cardiff, Newport and Llandudno.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking ensure progress made by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is sustained after polio funding is withdrawn in countries transitioning away from support in 2019.

Alistair Burt: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has successfully led global efforts that have reduced Wild Polio Virus cases by more than 99% since its inception in 1988. The UK has played an important role in this process and UK support to GPEI will mean up to 45 million children can be vaccinated against polio each year until 2020. It is a key priority for the UK that polio-funded assets continue to ensure strong health systems after the world has been declared polio-free, when GPEI will cease to exist. Governments and key partners must take responsibility for ensuring the assets of the polio programme are not lost and countries remain polio-free. The UK expects the World Health Organisation (WHO) to take a leading role in ensuring a robust and coordinated response and part of the UK’s funding to WHO is conditional on this being met. The UK has been instrumental in ensuring a coherent strategy be developed and implemented that will support countries as they transition from GPEI support. We will continue to work with WHO and other key polio partners to ensure this is fully actioned and well coordinated.

Department for International Development: Capita

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which contracts awarded by her Department are operated by Capita.

Alistair Burt: The Department for International Development does not have any current centrally let contracts with Capita but does have some low value spend with Capita for FY 18/19.

Conditions of Employment

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on UK support for the proposed ILO convention on ending violence and harassment in the workplace.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State has corresponded with the Minister of State for Employment on the proposed Convention on Ending Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. They have agreed that officials and legal advisers at the Government Equalities Office and the Department for International Development will work in close partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions to help deliver a successful outcome for the UK on this important issue.

Developing Countries: Conditions of Employment

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the funding allocated by her Department to tackle workplace violence and harassment in developing countries; and which programmes that funding covers.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s £30.3M Responsible Accountable Transparent Enterprise Programme (RATE) is focussed on promoting job quality standards in developing countries, including ending workplace violence and harassment. All of the organisations funded by this programme, including the Ethical Trading Initiative, ShareAction, Shift and World Benchmarking Alliance are active on this agenda.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Contracts

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many government contracts have been awarded to companies based in Northern Ireland since June 2017.

Oliver Dowden: Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Vote Leave: Election Offences

Meg Hillier: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the recent report of the Electoral Commission into the activities of Vote Leave, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government's policies of the findings in that report.

Chloe Smith: The Government takes seriously any breaches of electoral rules, and will continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission, along with many other stakeholders in the electoral system, to protect the integrity, security and effectiveness of referendums and elections.

Ministry of Justice: Government Digital Service

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings the Government Digital Service has had with the Ministry of Justice since 2015.

Oliver Dowden: The Government Digital Service and the Ministry of Justice meet regularly, including planned and ad hoc meetings. The Ministry of Justice is also a member of two forums managed by GDS: the Technology and Digital Leaders Group and the Functional Leaders Group.

Government Digital Service

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish reviews conducted by the Government Digital Service into the outcomes of exemplar programmes.

Oliver Dowden: The Government has no plans to publish reviews of the exemplar programmes.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total value is of the contracts signed with Barclays, Digidentity, Experian, Post Office, and SecureIdentity to develop Verify.

Oliver Dowden: These contracts we procured through the GOV.UK Verify (Identity Assurance) Framework Agreement, published on Contracts Finder. The value of these individual contracts within that Framework Agreement is not publically available due to commercially sensitivities. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive  Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to (a) conduct and (b) publish a review of the development of Verify.

Oliver Dowden: An update on the GOV.UK Verify programme was provided in Written Statement HCWS978. The Government has an immediate and growing need for secure digital identity and will continue to support the work of the GOV.UK Verify programme. There are no current plans for a Cabinet Office review of the development of GOV.UK Verify.

Cabinet: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.

Oliver Dowden: At 30th September 2018, (a) 140 members of staff in my Department, (b) 11 members of staff in Cabinet Office agencies, and (c) 23 members of staff in our non-departmental public bodies, were of non-UK EU nationality.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent with private firms in the expense area Central EU Exit Consultancy (Prog) since 2016.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office recently published a set of transparency data on gov.uk which details expenditure totalling approximately £1.6m for the expense area of ‘Central EU Exit Consultancy’. Established in April 2018, 'Central EU Exit Consultancy’ refers to a set of contracts that enables government departments to quickly secure resource for critical work on preparations and implementation of EU Exit. The contracts range from short, strategic advisory engagements, to day-to-day programmatic support, such as establishing and running Project Management Office functions. The contracts cover skills that are needed on EU Exit preparation and implementation to allow the widest scope for departments to secure the capability they need, including commercial, operational, programme and project management.

Civil Service: Reform

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much money his Department has spent on the ERG Civil Service Reform expense area since 2014.

Mr David Lidington: In 2014/15 financial year the Department spent £3,104,447. As per the Department’s 2014/15 Annual Report and Accounts (p135), the Civil Service Reform activity merged with Efficiency & Reform under the Chief Executive’s Group from April 2015. As such we cannot define a specific figure for this activity from that point forward.

Cabinet Office: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total value of all consultancy expenditure by his Department since 2010 is.

Oliver Dowden: Cabinet Office publishes the amount spent on consultancy in its Annual Report and Accounts each year. The amounts since 1st April, by financial year, are set out below: Financial Year£'000 2010-115,3882011-1211,4112012-136,1972013-1428,1352014-1514,9082015-169,1732016-1710,1912017-1823,988

Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total value of his Department's consultancy expenditure relating to the Grenfell Tower inquiry is.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total value of his Department's spend on the Grenfell Tower inquiry is.

Mr David Lidington: The independent Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry is committed to publishing its costs on a regular basis. Costs for Phase 1 will be published once Phase 1 has completed. The Cabinet Office has not incurred any consultancy spend in relation to the Inquiry.

Government Digital Service

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Government Digital Service projects have been funded by the public purse but have not been completed in each of the last seven years.

Oliver Dowden: In the 2015 Government Spending Review, the Government Digital Service (GDS) was tasked with delivering three cross-government programmes to improve public services and deliver efficiencies. These were: A Common Technology Services programme to allow the Civil Service to purchase consistent, flexible and modern IT, driving savings and improving performance. A new way of delivering digital services, Government as a Platform, to provide a common set of core systems that enable government departments to share digital services, technology and processes. The development of the GOV.UK Verify programme to enable individuals to prove their identity online and to access government services securely and safely. These programmes continue to deliver against their objectives.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what preparations the Government has put in place to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We do not want or expect a no deal scenario. It is however the duty of a responsible Government to continue to prepare for a range of potential outcomes.Extensive work to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario has been under way for over two years. For instance, we have already successfully passed critical legislation, signed international agreements, recruited additional staff and guaranteed certain EU funding in a ‘no deal’ scenario.We have also published 106 technical notices to help businesses and citizens to prepare for March 2019 in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario.

Brexit: North West

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the North West of (a) the UK leaving the EU without a deal and (b) the EU accepting the Chequers proposals.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We are committed to getting the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for all parts of the UK, including the North West. We do not want or expect a no-deal scenario and remain confident that we will secure a mutually advantageous deal with the EU. We continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy, and all regions and nations of the UK, in order to inform our negotiations.The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis, across a range of scenarios, in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would reveal our negotiating position and so the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work.

Statutory Instruments: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the statutory instruments necessary for the UK to leave the EU are scrutinised by Parliament before 29 March 2019.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Answer: As stated in my response to question 183448, the Government remains confident of ensuring a functioning statute book as we leave the EU. We are working closely with departments to deliver a manageable flow of statutory instruments to allow Parliament time to fulfill its scrutiny role.

Brexit

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether it is the Government's policy that any treaty made between the UK and the EU pursuant to Article 50 should have a provision allowing the treaty to be denounced in the event that the terms of the political declaration are not adopted within a specified period.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government said in the White Paper that the Withdrawal Agreement should include an explicit commitment by both parties to finalise the legal agreements to give effect to the future relationship as soon as possible, in order to achieve a smooth transition out of the implementation period and into the future relationship. We have been discussing proposals on the linkage needed between the Withdrawal Agreement and the future relationship, and the EU is engaging constructively.

Treasury

Sanitary Protection: Taxation

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative estimate his Department has made of the (a) volume of sales of and the (b) tax revenue generated from sanitary products (i) in the EU and (ii) outside the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: No such estimate has been made. HMRC does not hold detailed information on the UK volume of sales or on the VAT on specific products as this information is not required on a VAT return. Information is not held on the volume of sales or tax revenues generated in other countries – whether inside or outside of the EU.

Shipping: Excise Duties

Peter Aldous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to replace shipwork end-use relief after it expires in April 2019.

Mel Stride: Government recognises the importance of the oil and gas industry to the UK’s economy. Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the operation of customs processes and reliefs, including End Use relief. The introduction of the Union Customs Code legislation in 2016 made some changes to how End Use relief operates. HMRC has given affected traders a transitional period, until 1 May 2019, to adjust their business processes to reflect these changes. HMRC is continuing to engage with affected sectors to explore the issues further.

Beverage Containers: Taxation

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report of the Environment Audit Committee, Disposable packing: coffee cups, published on 19 December 2017, HC 657, what steps he is taking to implement the Committee's recommendation to introduce a levy on disposable coffee cups.

Robert Jenrick: The government recognises the problems caused by disposable cups, which are difficult to recycle and often littered. The government’s view is that a levy on all cups would not at this time be effective in encouraging widespread reuse. Businesses are already taking steps to limit their environmental impact, but the government expects industry to go further, and we will return to the issue if sufficient progress is not made. In the meantime, we will look in the Resources and Waste Strategy at the best way to tackle the environmental impact of cups.

Annuities

Nick Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the trivial commutation and small pots rules to enable more people to access their annuities as a lump sum.

Nick Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the trivial commutation and small pots rules to require insurers to commute annuities into lump sum payments for consumers; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The small pots and trivial commutation rules are permissive sets of tax rules which pre-date the pension freedoms reforms introduced in 2015. The rules may allow an individual to access their pension as a lump sum if they are at least 55 years old, or retiring at an earlier age because of ill-health, and the value of the payment does not exceed £10,000 for small pots, or £30,000 for trivial commutation. The rules limit what arrangements can be accessed in this way. As the regulations are permissive, there is no obligation on providers to offer small pot lump sums to consumers. The Government has no plans at present to amend existing legislation to require insurers to commute annuities in payment.

Optical Fibres: Non-domestic Rates

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of extending full fibre relief to the new building of all fixed and mobile telecommunications infrastructure.

Robert Jenrick: The government is providing 100% business rates relief for new full-fibre infrastructure, for five years from 1 April 2017, to support investment in new full-fibre broadband infrastructure and future 5G communications. While all taxes are kept under review, there are currently no plans to extend this relief to other telecoms infrastructure.

Gaming Machines

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money that is lost by gamblers on fixed odds betting terminals is retained by (a) betting firms and (b) HM Government in each month in the last three years.

Robert Jenrick: HM Revenue & Customs publishes a breakdown of revenue for Machine Games Duty here: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspxA separate breakdown for revenue from different machine types is not available. HMRC cannot make any assessment of the amount retained by betting firms.

Public Sector: Pensions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department completed the quadrennial valuations of the public service pension schemes; and when the change in cost was communicated to police forces.

Elizabeth Truss: The current quadrennial valuations of the public service pension schemes are ongoing. At Budget 2016 we identified likely pressures on employer contributions to public service pensions of £2 billion. The valuations indicate that there will be additional costs to employers, above the level previously envisaged. The Budget confirms that additional funding of £4.7 billion has been allocated to the reserve to cover these expected additional costs.

Police: Pensions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department first notified police forces of the timeline for the implementation of changes to quadrennial valuations of the public service pension schemes.

Elizabeth Truss: The valuations of public service pension schemes are undertaken in accordance with the framework set out under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013, secondary legislation and HM Treasury directions. The timeline for the implementation of the quadrennial valuations was set out in The Public Service Pensions (Valuations and Employer Cost Cap) Directions 2014, on 11 March 2014. At Budget 2016 we identified likely pressures on employer contributions to public service pensions of £2 billion and set out that these costs would need to be met within existing budgets. The valuations indicate that there will be additional costs to employers, above the level previously envisaged. The Budget confirms that additional funding of £4.7 billion has been allocated to the reserve to cover these expected additional costs. As the Chancellor said in his Budget speech, the Home Secretary will review police spending power and further options for reform when he presents the provisional police funding settlement in December.

Public Sector Exit Payments (Limitation) Bill

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his Department's policy to support the Public Sector Exit Payments (Limitation) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government legislated through the Enterprise Act 2016 for a £95,000 cap on exit payments in the public sector. This reform to exit payment compensation requires affirmative regulations to come into force, which I plan to consult on before bringing them before Parliament. I fully support the intention to limit exit payments across the public sector, however this Bill would duplicate existing primary legislation and delay its implementation.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to protect mobile phone users from being signed up to PayForIT services without consent or knowledge.

Margot James: The regulation of premium rate services, including those offered via the PayForIT payment method, requires that consumers must not be charged for such services without their consent or knowledge. The Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA), the UK’s regulator of premium rate services, is continuing to work with the industry to tackle this issue, by improving security standards and updating consent to charge guidance. The PSA also takes robust enforcement action against breaches of its regulation and this includes imposing substantial fines, ordering refunds to be made to affected consumers and prohibiting service providers and individuals from providing phone-paid services for a period of time.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 182225 on Cybercrime, how many people have benefited from training or employment through the cyber security immediate impact fund; and what the total cost to the public purse of that fund to date is.

Margot James: As of end of October 2018, approximately 170 individuals were either participating or had been identified to take part in the seven initiatives supported through the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF) pilot. These initiatives are ongoing and have not yet concluded. The full level of participation and an assessment of employment outcomes will be considered as part of an independent evaluation in 2019. It is a principle of funding through the National Cyber Security Programme that for national security reasons we are unable to detail individual NCSP funding by department or initiative

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

South East Asia: Foreign Relations

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 182107 on South East Asia: Foreign Relations, what level of engagement the Government is seeking with the EU-ASEAN Policy Dialogue on Human Rights after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Field: The human rights situation in ASEAN countries is important to the UK. We raise issues of concern both bilaterally and through multilateral fora, including the EU. The UK’s objective is to build a deep and special partnership with the EU following Brexit, protecting our shared interests and values. This will be true of our cooperation in a range of multilateral fora and dialogues where we will remain close partners, and where there will be continuing mutual benefit in consulting and working together.​

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition

Sarah Champion: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans she has to continue to consult with trans and non-binary people on reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

Victoria Atkins: From 3 July to 22 October the GEO received responses from a range of individuals and organisations as part of the public consultation on the Gender Recognition Act 2004. We asked how we might reform the Act to make it less bureaucratic and intrusive to change legal gender and we received many responses from trans and non-binary people.The GEO met over 100 organisations in the run up to, and during this public consultation. We are now preparing to analyse the written submissions and evidence collected so far.We are aware there are a range of views on reform and that this is a complex issue that we want to get right. That is why we will continue to meet with stakeholders as we develop the Government’s response.